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Date Posted: 12:33:37 04/22/03 Tue
Author: Stan Lee-nigma!
Subject: (!) The Great Enigma: Ex Libris Arcanium -Story Arc I: "Sephiroth" - Prologue

The rain came down in a light drizzle on Wicker Park. The Flat Iron building, with its white brick walls, were painted with all the colors of the night. The neon lights of the hot dog joint on the first floor glowed in stark contrast to the dark blue of the tranquil sky. The stores, cafes and homes surrounding the intersection of Milwaukee, Damen and North Avenues were silent and bereft of movement. A bus, headed up North to Clark Street, passed by the northern side of the Flat Iron. Although it didn¡¦t stop, three figures stood in front of the building when the bus had left.

Perched atop an apartment complex across the street, a man in a trench coat looked down upon the figures through his binoculars. He wore a suit underneath his coat and a fedora on his head, all gray. Were it not for the mask that covered everything but his eyes, one might have likened him to Sam Spade. On his right lapel was a Chicago Police Department badge, marking him as a detective. He continued to look at the trio as they climbed the wall of the Flat Iron to the third floor.

He pulled himself away from his binoculars and blinked. They were climbing the wall with out the use of a ladder or rope. The wall was to smooth and even to hold on to and climb like a mountain. The only other way was if¡K

He shook his head, as to dispel that idea. He vowed to stop watching that movie with his son and rushed off the roof.

The three individuals had made it to the window of a bookstore. One of them stood on the windowsill and walked through the panes of glass like it was air. The other two followed suit. The first, the leader of the trio, pulled a flashlight out of the long, black robe he wore. He turned it on and turned to his partners. They wore the same garments as he; a black robe, stylized like those of Christian ministers, black leather boots and greaves, gloves and hoods to cover their faces. He signaled for them to search the bookstore. One went to a shelf on the right; the other searched the wall behind him. Then the light clicked on.

¡§Good morning, gentlemen,¡¨ said the detective, who was leaning on the wall next to the light switch. ¡§Is there a book I can help you find? Like, ¡¥How To Find a Good Lawyer?¡¦¡¨

The robed thieves charged at the detective. Grabbing his legs, the leader tackled him while the others dog-piled on top of him. The thief on top heard someone clearing his throat aloud and looked to see the detective, leaning on the opposite wall. The robed men got up and faced him. The leader held his right hand up towards his opponent. With a flash of dim light, a katana that was the length of a grown man¡¦s leg appeared in his hand.

The detective was reached inside his trench coat and pulled out two nightsticks. He twirled them in his arms for a few seconds then waited for the opponent to make his first move. The robed man slashed at the detective with his sword but failed to reach him. However, a strong force from the slashing motion, similar to that of a gale-force wind, pushed the detective off his feet and through the window. The thieves were about to return to their task, when the leader saw a young woman calling the police in her pajamas. He decided to escape and try again the next day. The trio ran to the window and exited the way they came in.

When the last of the robed men was on street level, they looked around for the body of the detective. There was broken glass were they stood, but their opponent was nowhere to be found. The sun was beginning to rise. Not wanting to be caught, they ran across the street and stood, waiting for a bus. A North Avenue bus, headed west, passed by as though the trio wasn¡¦t even there. When the bus had left, the hooded men were gone as well.
*****

What do you think so far?

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